The Memoir of Katerina Petrova
by flowinthestream12
Summary: This is my take on how Katerina became pregnant all the way up till she became a vampire to escape Klaus.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**February 18th, 1490 **

Katerina Petrova pulled the finely toothed comb through her shiny, waist length, dark curls. Her long raven lashes fluttered against her tawny skin and her teeth were holding her mauve bottom lip in. Katerina was sitting in an ornate wooden chair before her small dresser. An oval mirror about two feet in length was hanging a few inches above it on the wall it was set against. Reflected in it was Katerina's handmaiden whom she called Slunchitze, meaning 'little sun', was braiding a few locks of her mistress's hair.

Katerina would call her 'lalya' in certain situations, which meant 'maid'. She hated needing to demean her only friend in her home, aside from her Mama. Her _father_, however, she preferred to avoid. Katerina loved him, of course, as a daughter must love her father. But, he truly was an unpleasant man. He always picked at her appearance, slapping her knuckles away from a second serving of food or fussing about her growing bosom.

As though his daughter could control her developing curves. Katerina was his only heir and he was anxious to marry her off. She sighed as she set the comb on the glossy top of the short dresser, "Thank you, Slunchitze. Can you set out a dress to wear to the market? One that _he _would like?"

Only Slunchitze would understand that Katerina was _not _referring to her father. Not even her mother was in on this secret. She could trust her handmaiden, her most dear friend. Under her father's very intrusive nose, his daughter was rebelling against him in the most blasphemous way. Katerina was in love with a man he had not chosen for her. His name was Andrian and today Katerina was going to make her attraction known.

Sure, her father would likely approve of Andrian if he knew of their friendship. He was a soldier, older than she, and was handsome. But, part of the thrill was keeping her father in the dark about it. The anticipation made her even more anxious than usual. Freedom was just a short horseback ride away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

**Afternoon of ****February 18th, 1490**

By the time the sun had completed its ascent over the surrounding wood, Katerina was outside awaiting for the stable hands to bring her gelding to her. He was a large warm blooded horse with a seal brown coat. He was from the east and her father had stripped of his masculinity when he was just a colt. All because the foal, whom Katerina had named _Cheren _for his dark coat, had a pronounced wither bone. Katerina's father suspected the colt had a deformed spine and therefore unworthy of breeding. But, his daughter would swear to anyone that Cheren was the fastest steed she has ever ridden.

It was because of Katerina that Cheren wasn't promptly shot for his appearance. Perhaps she could see herself in the gelding. She beamed when Slunchitze came around from the back of the enormous estate, tugging along Cheren by his reins. Her smile broadened when she noticed that Slunchitze had chosen a burgundy saddle blanket that almost matched her mistress's dress. Katerina's curves had been squeezed into an ankle-length red gown with overlong sleeves that could almost sweep the leaf strewn ground.

Except for the few braids, Katerina's hair was left hanging naturally. Cheren was usually left isolated and not given as much grain as the other 'more worthy' horses in the stable. The only kindness he knew of was shown to him by Katerina and Slunchitze.

Katerina gripped his bridle bit to lift his big muzzle to her lips, "Oh, Cheren. Your mama loves you. _Da_, you know she does."

A boy about a few years younger than her came knelt and offered his mistress's his bent knee to mount the tall horse. Cheren swayed unsteadily beneath her but Katerina was not worried. This was normal for him.

She glanced over her shoulder into each of the windows for her father's face before whispering to Slunchitze, "Sit behind me."

The boy squinted at the handmaiden, "Sir Petrova would not approve -"

Katerina glared into his pliant blue eyes, "You were _not _here, da? Therefore, you have nothing to keep from my father. Help my Slunchitze."

If only she could make him take her order immediately by looking him in the eye with this much authority. Reluctantly, the stable boy knelt down in the dirt again and helped Slunchitze up on Cheren's short back. It irritated Katerina that even the stable hands questioned her superiority. Her father's control was nearly choking her enough as it is.

* * *

The marketplace was Katerina's favorite haunt. It smelled foul because of the meat vendors and locals who did not bathe as frequently as she would advise. But, this is where she would come to see Andrian. He was a soldier, but, there was no war to fight in and therefore he was unemployed. Slunchitze dismounted Cheren first so that she could help Katerina step down more elegantly.

She tied Cheren to a post beside where Andrian's mother kneaded bread. It was just her and her son living in the quarters on top of the bakery.

"_Sdrawei_, Katerina!" called a stout woman leaning over the half-door. "I was just preparing to make a loaf for you. Andrian said he was to meet with you today."

The woman was an entire head shorter than Katerina and had silver curls cascading down her back. She had green eyes like her son and used to be very beautiful. She would frequently bore Katerina with stories of her once vibrant youth.

Katerina hitched up her dress and walked briskly over to Andrian's mother, "_Sdratsi_, Madam Hristov! Where _is_ that soldier of ours?"

Slunchitze came up behind Katerina and curtsied for Andrian's mother, "_Sdrawei_."

Madam Hristov nodded at the handmaiden, "Andrian is across the way. He is trying to give a good impression to the meat seller."

"Ah, I don't want him to smell like decay." Katerina scrunched up her nose and Madam Hristov laughed with her.

"He does not, either, little Katerina. But, unfortunately, rent does not pay itself."

Madam Hristov was a very perceptive woman. She picked up on Katerina's attraction to her son almost the moment Katerina's mouth gaped at the sight of him. She smiled over Katerina's shoulder but before Katerina could turn around Katerina felt a large, warm palm press against the base of her back.

"You are early," said Andrian as he bent low to her ear. "I was planning to wash beforehand."

Katerina giggled and hugged him around his hard middle. Andrian was over six feet in height and was well defined by burly muscles. He had emerald eyes with gold bands around his irises. He had thick dark brows and shoulder length wavy brown hair. His skin was a darker shade than Katerina's since he had to work outside every day. He was wearing

Katerina twisted around to crane her neck up to meet his eyes. She smirked knowingly, "If you'd like, I can come back later -"

"No, no, no, you're staying right here. It's been too long since you've come." Andrian chuckled.

"I saw you not more than a day ago," Katerina giggled.

It was as though they were no longer in the market place. It was as though the earth was uninhabited but for Katerina and Andrian. But, their little world was invaded when Andrian saw Slunchitze and bowed for her exaggeratedly just to make Katerina laugh again.

"Well, I am filthy. Let me go change and I'll take you to the river." said Andrian, gently squeezing his hand that had drifted to her wide hips.

Katerina watched him climb up the ladder to their chambers overhead. The river would be the perfect place to talk. In order to be heard over the rushing current, it would be necessary to be close to one another ... which is all that Katerina wanted today.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Afternoon of ****February 18th, 1490**

Slunchitze kept closer to Katerina closer than her mistress's own shadow. Katerina trailed her fingers along the sturdy oak table used to kneed bread. Over the years it had grown a stubborn crust of flour and grain. Katerina examined the flesh toned powder now on her fingertips. Before she could like it away, Andrian gently pulled her hand away from her lips.

"I tried it when I was a mere boy, Katerina." he chuckled. "I do not wish to see you as sick as I became."

Katerina giggled up at him, "I'm stronger than you think, Andrian."

He was now dressed in his tight threaded pants and a dark green shirt that reached the middle of his thighs. It was secured with a braided leather belt bound around his hips. Katerina noticed that he had combed his shoulder-length dark hair so that it could be free of its tie. Slunchitze stepped back from them politely, staring at the floor. Though she and Katerina were close friends, it would be inappropriate for a mistress to show affection to her handmaiden in public.

"Are you ready? It's just a short walk, not too far from the bakery." Andrian asked as she entwined her long fingers in his callused hand.

Katerina nodded before turning around to speak to Slunchitze, "We are going to the river. In my absence, you can aid Madam Hristov in the shop. I will be back before nightfall."

Slunchitze smiled knowingly and looked on as Andrian escorted Katerina to the back of the bakery. He held the back door open for her and ducked to follow out the threshold. It was a cold afternoon in the market. Andrian and Katerina glanced around to check that they were alone before he wrapped his heavy arm around her shoulders to share his warmth. Katerina breathed him in.

He smelled of mint, most likely taken from his mother's chambers. It almost masked the metallic stench of blood from the meat seller. Katerina rested her head against this chest as they walked the short distance to the river. This river had a merciless current that had claimed a few children's lives in the market. It was the scene of several deaths ... so, how can Katerina find it so beautiful?

Andrian sat down on a boulder that was wedged into the ground. Katerina had guessed that this mass of stone was much larger beneath the earth, like an iceberg she had been told of. He pulled her onto his lap and she curled up to rest her head beneath his strong jaw.

"Do you think of what will become of us?" Katerina asked him quietly.

Andrian's Adam's apple bounced against her head, "I do ... more than I should, Katerina. It's painful to think of it."

Katerina closed her eyes, "We must still keep this from my father."

"_Why_?" Andrian groaned. He lifted Katerina so that her legs were folded on either side of his waist. Their eyes were on each other, chocolate to emerald, "Maybe he will accept my proposal -"

"He controls me like a hound claims a bitch," Katerina shook her head, glancing away. "He rips away everything that I care about. Right out of my arms. He'll take you away from me, Andrian. If he finds out I am in love ... wait, what proposal?"

Andrian beamed down at her and Katerina felt like her throat had gone cold. She placed her hands on his stomach and repressed her welling tears.

Andrian cleared his throat as he cupped her face, "I am in love with you, Katerina. Ever since you had your first blood, you were a woman in my eyes. I was like a magnet to your heart, your courage, and your beauty. If you don't return my love, I will be an unwedded soldier till I die. I want you to be my wife, mother of my children. There is no other for me."

Katerina realized that her mouth had been gapping and shut it, "Andrian, why didn't you tell me before?"

Andrian wiped away a tear that had strayed down her cheek, "Have I upset you? For so long I believed you were more than a mere friend -"

The rest of his words were choked when Katerina lunged for his lips. She cupped her hands around his chiseled face and tasted him. She basked in the warmth of his toasty breath. His hands were for a moment frozen where he had been holding her head. They descended down to her waist and responded to her lips with such force it could pass for aggression.

Katerina panted, "You are better with words than I ... whom had to hide my feelings for all these years."

"You will never have to be silent again!" Andrian growled and their lips collided again.

Katerina shoved him flat on the enormous stone and loomed over him, "Still, we must be silent, Andrian. Be cautious, be protective, my love, ... or we could be lost to each other forever."

She kept her eyes on his as she fanned the hem of her red dress around him. Now, only his pants separated their skin from touching, "Be silent, Andrian. Not even the roaring river can hide us now."

She dove upon him. Slunchitze glanced warily at the back door hanging open. She had just heard her mistress cry out in pain. Katerina collapsed on top of Andrian, reeling from the pain of him entering her. It had lasted a minute, two at the most. She couldn't take the pain any longer than that. Andrian stroked her back and shushed her.

Katerina gripped his emerald shirt, her drool and tears leaving dark stains on the fabric, "I can never give this to another man. Please, don't let anything keep me away from you. Not even my father ... my _precious _father." She squeezed her eyes at the mere thought of her father finding out that his only heir was no longer virginal. "Not even mama. Don't tell yours, either. Secrets are best kept between few."

Andrian's chest was still heaving in the aftermath, "I promise." He kissed the top of her head, "If we are discovered, I'll protect you. Even if I must tear his throat out with my teeth. No one will come between us."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four **

**Night of February 23rd, 1490**

Five days have passed since Katerina last saw Andrian Hristov. She spent those days, a few of the longest of her life, worrying that he may not love her anymore despite his declaration after they had consummated by that river. Katerina had come close, three times to be precise, to confiding in Slunchitze. She wondered if her hired-friend suspected what had happened between her mistress and the baker's son. Katerina had enough faith in the handmaiden that Slunchitze would not tell her parents.

Katerina was consumed with indignation and sadness whenever she was near her father, Stanislav Petrova. It was growing harder to hide with each passing day. She hated him for ignorantly ruining this monumental moment in her life. It wasn't even thrilling anymore to keep this a secret from her parents. The feeling was more like nausea congregating in her throat.

Katerina favored her mother over her father and yet she wouldn't admit aloud that she was feeling ... _guilt_? _Regret? Insecure_? She urgently needed to see Andrian. Katerina felt like once she did, that strangling sensation around her throat would be gone.

She needed to know if this man still wanted her as much as she never wanted to let him go. Katerina was sitting as still as a gargoyle at the foot of her bed in her birch colored night gown. Her thick, curly, dark hair was restrained in a thick braid down her back. Her brown and thickly lashed eyes kept glancing fearfully at the window beside the mirror hanging over her desk. Katerina was trying to guess how high off the ground the second story was when someone clacked their knuckles against her door before pushing it open.

"Mama," Katerina said breathlessly, twisting around to face her mother. "What is it?"

She resembled her mother, Ivet Petrova, more than her father. Age has shrunken the woman a few inches shorter than her daughter and her rough life could be read in the deepening lines in her face. But, they shared the same hair texture, olive skin tone, and large dark eyes. Even their night gowns were similar

Ivet joined Katerina at the foot of her daughter's ornate canopy bed, "Your father has forbidden you to forewarn you of this. But, I am going to tell you anyway. He wanted to keep you unaware to prevent any rash actions."

Katerina smiled uncertainly, "Mama? Are you _crying_?"

Ivet rubbed her sagging eyes, "No, no, no. This is a time of celebration, to be happy. And I wish I felt that way. But, I can't because I know how you will feel. This happened to me when I married your father."

Katerina gulped, feeling as though she already knew what her mother was about to tell her, "Has he found ... a 'suitor'?"

Ivet cupped Katerina's face with her hands and reluctantly shook her head, "Katerina, my sweet and beautiful girl. He will be here in five weeks. He is from the north. His name is Radko Dimitrova." Ivet let go of Katerina and stared at her hands limp in her lap. The pain in her daughter's eyes was too much for the helpless mother, "Your father agreed almost the second he heard that this gentleman was to inherit his father's ship. Dimitrova is to sail to England as captain to sell armory."

Katerina felt as though she was hearing her mother's voice from the bottom of a well. She was drowning in her swelling despair. Andrian was the man she was going to marry. Did it not matter that she cared little for grandeur? That she would gladly live in the attic of the bakery with him rather than sail away to a foreign country with riches and a stranger?

The thought of another man entering her, one whom was not Andrian, poisoned her nausea.

Katerina's jaw had gone slack for a while before she realized it, "Please, _please_, mama! Don't let him! I don't want to marry _Radko_! Please, mama!"

Ivet pursed her lips to prevent crying, "There is nothing I can do, Katerina. I'd give anything ... but, with this man, I know you will be provided for. I cannot hope for much else as a mother."

Katerina did not feel hostile towards her mother. Ivet was as much beneath her husband in power as was their daughter. Katerina wiped her leaking nose and choked on a sob. Her mother pulled her to her chest and rocked her from side to side.

Ivet kissed her daughter's shiny hair, "You may never love this gentleman, but, you _will_ love his children. It is a gift not bestowed on every wife."

Katerina clutched at her mother's nightgown, staining it with her tears, "I don't want him! I love someone else!"

She had spoken this in the heat of the circumstances. Ivet, however, seemed to not have discerned those last four words in the midst of her daughter's wailing. She shushed her daughter and stroked her back lovingly.

"Keep your strength, Katerina. You must act as though you do not know, my child. Remember, you are not supposed to know this."

* * *

No more than a mere second after Ivet left an apparently sleeping Katerina tucked beneath her thick blankets, her daughter had dashed down the stairs and was running out to the stable behind their home. Cheren was chewing on his stall door when she skidded to a halt in front of the restless horse.

"I need you, Cheren." Katerina hardly noticed that her breath was curling before her trembling lips like smoke in the chilly night air. "I need you to take me to Andrian."

She pushed the door open into the stall and recklessly mounted her horse without a saddle or bridle. Slunchitze looked on from the kitchen as her mistress galloped around the house and disappear down the street.

* * *

Cheren snorted and wheezed as he slowed to a dragging walk through the deserted marketplace with Katerina on his back. She never wanted to ride bareback again. Though Cheren had not objected to her gripping his mane for security, it had been very hard to hold herself to his unleveled back. The market was entirely encased in darkness. But, Katerina's eyes had adjusted to the night and familiarity with the layout helped her locate the bakery.

To her utter luck, Andrian was sitting at the dirty table. His head was on his arms and his emerald eyes were partially open. But, Katerina knew he was asleep. Cheren moved forward when Katerina made to dismount her horse and his heavy hoof clacking on the wooden porch of the bakery woke the unemployed soldier up instantly.

"Who's there?" Andrian leapt to his feet and squinted blindly at the massive horse that was no more than ten feet from him.

Katerina slid off Cheren's back and took Andrian's hand, "It's I, Katerina. I needed to see you. Something terrible has happened -"

Andrian pulled her to his chest and breathed in her fragrant hair, "I thought I was never going to see you again! Wait ... why are you not dressed?"

Katerina was indeed wearing _something_, just not something she would normally. She had not thought of this when she hoped on her horses back.

"You must be cold -" Andrian was interrupted by Katerina's lips pressing against his.

His concern for her wellbeing disproved what she had been doubting. Andrian still loved her. She shoved him onto the table like she had by the river five days ago. He was wearing a fur robe and nothing but pants underneath. Katerina flipped her hair over one shoulder and dove upon his lips again. Andrian seemed too stunned at Katerina's forwardness to object to it ... or, he was rather enjoying this surprise.

All thought of telling Andrian that Katerina was to be married off to a man that wasn't him slipped from her mind. If she had been cold before, she certainly was not now. His hot breath, which smelled of pipe smoke, flushed her paled face. Andrian pushed the waistband of his pants down and Katerina clenched her teeth at the ache of him entering her again. This time she was determined not to cry.

She was grateful of the night to hide her reddening eyes. Katerina gripped his shoulders and thrust into his hips, which bucked at that new level of pressure.

"Katerina!" he breathed with a raspy growl.

She kissed him so that he would not speak again for fear that they would wake his mother. Katerina swayed her hips on him and clenched her muscles around him. There was a strange but wonderful sensation about a half a minute later when it seemed like the pressure in his cock seemed to release something inside of her. The lessening tension eased the pain. Andrian unraveled beneath her and Katerina smiled knowingly down at him.

She laid down on top of him, "You know that I love you. No matter what happens, nothing with keep us apart. Not time, not fathers, ... not suitors."

Andrian was too lost in the bliss of the aftermath to have heard exactly what Katerina had said. But, he had heard about her love for him, "I love you, Katerina. You ... are a wonder, you are."

Katerina stepped down from the table and adjusted her nightgown, "I know this was sudden. I just needed to see you."

"Please, don't let me stop you from being 'sudden'." Andrian smiled up at the ceiling. "When am I to see you again?"

He stepped down from the table and was pulling his waistband to his hips while watching Katerina climb on top of Cheren, who had been grazing a few feet away from the bakery, "I will come tomorrow. Save your strength."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

**February 24th, 1490**

Stanislav and Ivet Petrova were seated at opposite ends of a long dining table. Hung on the wooden walls of the room were ornate carpets. They helped warm the house when winter blew its chilling breath. There was a stone fireplace at the center of the wall, directly across from the middle of the dining table. Above it was a framed portrait of the couple with their daughter, Katerina Petrova ... whom was not in the room with them.

Ivet pushed her fruit, meat, and bread around on her plate with her eyes downcast. She flinched when she heard a faint gasp and a whimper coming from the closet in the corridor near the dining room.

Ivet squeezed her dark eyes shut to stem her tears before asking of her husband, "Let her come out, Stanislav ... _please_. It has been long enough. Let her come out to be with us ... _please_."

The man was gaining in age and weight. His features were severe yet not handsome. His hair was growing wiry and grey. Stanislav Petrova, whom had been eating without guilt, set his knife down with a _clang _that made his wife flinch again.

He gulped angrily, "We cannot pity her plight. She is a young girl. We are her eyes and her ears -"

"She is your _daughter_," Ivet protested as respectfully as she could manage. "Please, Stanislav. This is cruelty -"

"I call it 'parenting'," Stanislave grumbled around a mouth full of bread. "Very well. Let her out. Whatever consequences come of being soft on her ... fall on _your _shoulders, my wife. This is my warning. Her wild heart leads her down a slippery slope of destruction." Ivet pushed her chair back and was about to rise to her feet when Stanislav gestured for her to stay seated, "Lalya! Unlock the dungeon. Ask Katerina if she is ready to apologize."

Slunchitze wiped her eyes for she had been driven to tears as well over Katerina's crying form behind that door. The door was barely four feet in height and was set beneath the stairs leading to the bedrooms on the second floor. It had been a long, long time since Katerina had been locked in the 'dungeon'. Slunchitze lunged for the doorknob and fumbled with inserting the key what with her trembling hands. She yanked it open and the light that poured in blinded her mistress. Katerina yelped and clutched the navy blanket around her bare body tighter. The room was no more than a foot and a half in width and was three feet deep.

Slunchitze knelt before her and gripped her shoulders, "Come, miss. You are free."

Katerina tried to stand up but she shrieked in pain. Ivet made to rise out of her seat again but was frozen by Stanislav's scowl. Slunchitze lifted Katerina beneath her arms and pulled her out of the 'dungeon'.

The handmaiden looked down at Katerina's knees, "Oh, my, miss. You're bleeding!"

She peeked around Katerina and saw a pile of salt drenched in blood on the floor of the closet. Katerina's father had caught her locking away Cheren in the stable and dragged her by her long hair back to the house. Katerina had been kneeling, naked but for the blanket, in those sharp particles for hours since. It was both cruel and _humiliating_, just the kind of punishment Stanislav believed to be most effective. Katerina's usually olive skin was pale and beaded with sweat.

Her long, curly, dark hair sagged heavily on either side of her face and down her back. Katerina was starving and thirsty, but, felt nauseous at the same time. She walked lethargically towards the staircase with her arm draped around Slunchitze's neck.

Katerina sniffled, "I'll never be free, Slunchitze. Never."

* * *

Katerina pulled on a nightgown her mother had lent her. She was so exhausted and still shaken that all she wanted to do was stay in bed for the day. She would find a way to tell Andrian why she could not see him this day. Katerina could only find solace in that her father had not found any sign on the nightgown he had taken off of her that his daughter had committed adultery. It didn't matter that Katerina was not married ... not to _him_.

Even though she has not met the man her father has chosen for her, it was as good as marriage to Stanislav. Kneeling in salt for hours was only for leaving without permission. It made it worse that the discretion had occurred at night. Katerina did not want to think what her father would do if he knew that she was sleeping with Andrian. Ivet had promised to take Katerina to a physician to professionally clean her battered knees.

This physician just happened to meet patients in the market where the bakery was. Katerina couldn't get from one place to another, even the short distance from her dresser to her canopy bed, without assistance. Stanislav had stolen what he had wanted from her ... her independent spirit. But, Katerina was determined to take back what is hers. She promised herself that she would never allow her father to treat her in this manner again.

Not without a fight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six **

**March 4th, 1490**

Something was wrong. In addition to her injured knees, Katerina was now plagued with fatigue and her body appeared to be swelling, especially around her ankles and in her hands. Her breasts were increasing in size and were tender to the touch. She had been trying as best as she could to hide these changes from her father, Stanislav, for the fear that he would restrict her daily meals.

There were now four weeks left till Radko Dimitrova would arrive to marry her against her will. Stanislav would not tolerate his daughter fattening up before the armory salesman reached their home. Katerina was so flooded with emotions, drowning in her escalading dread of Dimitrova and her longing to remain near to Andrian. After an incident while riding Cheren, in which a small amount of blood stained her dress and the saddle, Katerina now needed to be taken to the market in a carriage.

She opened the small door of the carriage, wearing a green dress that reminded her of Andrian's eyes, before the stable hand could reach her and ran to the bakery.

"Katerina!" Madam Histrov exclaimed as Katerina skidded to a halt by the pressing table. "_Sdratsi_, my dear, _sdratsi_. Andrian is to be back soon. I've sent him to the river for more water."

Katerina winced as her stomach gave a painful grumble. The bakery was heavily scented with the aroma of bread baking in the oven. Madam Histrov glanced between Katerina's hungry eyes and the bread cooling on the windowsill nearby.

"Have you not had your breakfast yet, _mila moya_?" she asked her.

Katerina placed her hand over her stomach, which had been quite full when she left her house, "No, madam Histrov." She lied, "I was in too much of a hurry."

Madam Histrov carried the plate of oatmeal and raisin bread from the windowsill and offered it to Katerina, "Here, _mila moya_. Have as much as you'd like."

Katerina pulled a stool over for her to sit on and ripped off a piece of the bread to shove into her mouth. Her appetite has increased over the past week. Andrian waddled into the back of the bakery with a pale sloshing with icy water in each of his large and heavily callused hands. His long hair was bound at the nape of his neck and he was wearing a tawny and billowing shirt barely tucked into his filthy work pants. He beamed when his green eyes fell on Katerina eating and chatting with his mother.

She seemed different from the last time he saw her. Katerina had a certain vibe, a dreadful yet warm vibe, radiating all around her. There was a hint of color in her cheeks and her hair seemed to be healthier. Katerina turned when she finished the loaf of bread and wiped the crumbs off of her dark lips, obscuring the smile she gave Andrian when she saw him approaching her.

He knelt at her side so that they were eye level and kissed her in front of his mother, "How are you feeling, Katerina?"

She kissed him again, feeling heat rush to her cheeks, "I am healing, Andrian. My father has not seen me for days. I have been avoiding him." Madam Histrov smiled knowingly and departed from the secret couple. Katerina brushed her knuckles against his hollow cheek, "Has the butcher hired you?"

Before Andrian could answer, the foul scent of blood overwhelmed Katerina and nauseated her. She covered her lips but her vomit had already rushed into her mouth. Andrian narrowly avoided the sick that spewed from Katerina's mouth onto the wooden floor.

Katerina coughed hoarsely as Madam Histrov rushed forward with a mop, "I am so sorry. So, so sorry! Madam Histrov, I-I-I don't know what came over me."

Andrian massaged Katerina's lower back while his mother moped up the sick, "No, no, Katerina. It's alright. Perhaps you ate too quickly."

Katerina reached for some parsley to freshen her breath while trying to ignore the concern in Andrian's gaze. _She _was far more concerned about having foul breath after puking.

Andrian helped her to her feet and guided her around the pool of vomit, "Let's go to the attic. You can rest on my bed."

Katerina climbed up the ladder with Andrian at her heals. The attic was where his mother and he slept. It was as spacious as it was plain. There were two reasonably sized mattresses filled with various soft materials, Andrian's being the longest to accommodate his large stature, set on opposite sides of the floor. They had no bed frames but they did have many blankets to keep warm. Each bed had a sunken mold of the man or woman that slept on them. Katerina giggled at the deep dent in Andrian's bed.

"I'll fluff it for you," Andrian rushed ahead of her to shove off the blankets and push the filling around to make the mold of his body disappear.

Katerina ran her hand beneath his shirt to rub his muscular back, "Thank you, Andrian."

"I will not pretend that I don't know that you've been feeling melancholy," Andrian smiled sadly up at her. "For a few nights I wondered if I had repulsed you into leaving me."

Katerina pursed her lips and shook her head fervently, sinking down onto his bed, "You could never repulse me. My father and Dimitrova -"

"Who is Dimitrova?"

"- so many others make me sick to my belly," Katerina decided to pretend to not have heard him. "You, Andrian, have always made me feel so ... so loved, safe, _alive._ I don't know what I would do without you. I missed you _so _much."

It took a moment for her to realize that they were now laying on his bed together, facing each other. Andrian scooted close to kiss her before mounting her. Katerina pulled her dress up to her hips so that he could enter her. Below in the bakery, madam Histrov glanced up at the creaking sound coming from the ceiling along with the hushed grunts and gasps. She looked crestfallen, wishing that they would trust her enough to confide to her about their love.

"The world may change," madam Histrov mused under her breath while her son made love to the beautiful Katerina Petrova, "I hopelessly pray for it."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven **

**March 11th, 1490**

Katerina was shivering beneath her blankets, her tawny skin glistening with a sheet of cold sweet. Hours must have passed since she went to bed, but, her frequent waves of nausea kept her awake no matter how much sleep itched at her eyes. Everything was changing about her. Her temper was shorter, she needed to nap at least twice a day, and she was hungry more frequently. Not to mention her curves had grown more voluptuous. Katerina was frightened.

Slunchitze peeked into her mistress's bedroom, gave Katerina a sympathetic and encouraging smile when she spotted the sick girl curled underneath the blankets, and crossed the room to pull apart the heavy curtains, "It is supper time, miss Petrova."

Katerina peered at the beautiful evening darkening outside her window, "_Slunchitze_ -"

Her handmaiden touched a finger to her lips, gestured at the door with her head, and told her in a voice barely louder than a whisper, "Sir Petrova ... your father, he's noticed that he has not seen you this week, m' lady. He sent me 'to check that you still live under his roof'."

"Of course he would," Katerina wrenched herself out of the bed and winced as her aching breasts weighed down. "Can you please ... _argh, _just pick a dress, Slunchitze. I don't care which."

* * *

Ivet Petrova watched her daughter strut into the dining room with her head held high bravely. Her handmaiden stood at her side when Katerina sat gingerly in her chair. Ivet couldn't decide what was wrong with her daughter ... either that or she didn't want her suspicions to be true. It was most unlike Katerina to be so introverted, spending many days alone in her room. At times, she could hear her daughter vomiting into her chamber pot.

Katerina had lead the way to the dining room in a dark purple dress with her finest robe over it. She planned to make an excuse that she was cold, but, she was really hiding her expanding waist. She glanced once at her mother before folding her arms over her belly. Her tailbone ached whenever she sat so she sank down reluctantly. When her father stepped into the room, Katerina's entire body tensed preemptively.

She didn't want to relive that soreness by standing again so soon, especially for _him_. Stanislav sneered down at his unmanageable daughter. It would have been easier if she loved him, but, it was not necessary. As long as she obeyed and married the sailor, Stanislav could retire. This was Katerina's primary use to him.

Otherwise she'd only be a burden. The saddest part about this was that Katerina already knew her place in her father's heart. But, it did not phase her anymore.

She took a shaky deep breath and said without meeting her father's eyes, "It's not polite to stare, father."

Ivet gasped quietly and flinched when her husband stepped forward. She sighed, relieved, when Stanislav took his seat at the head of the long table. He nodded at Slunchitze as a signal to bring in the dinner, "Katerina, Katerina, Katerina ... I have missed you. I'd like you to join me on a walk after dinner. We have much to discuss."

Katerina slowly looked up at her father, but, her tone was strong, "If it would please you, father."

For dinner they were served a slightly burnt pig and a bowl of salad. When Katerina reached to slice off a portion of the pig to eat, Stanislav chuckled, "Really, my lovely, you don't need to have that. Eat the vegetables. They are not fattening."

Katerina clenched her jaw and took off more than she had planned to take from the pork, "No, they are not, father. Thank you for your input."

"You are mistaken, Katerina. It was an order," Stanislav said quietly. "Put the pork away. I want you to look pristine when ..."

Katerina knew that he was about to say something about Radko Dimitrova, the suitor whom was to arrive in a few weeks. But, her father was under the impression that she still did not know about the arrangement. Katerina resisted looking at her mother, whom had not served herself yet. She placed her hand over her belly and closed her eyes as another wave of nausea strangled her throat. The mere anxiety over sitting with her father was irritating her queasiness.

Her lips pursed as tears brimmed at her eyes, her voice now trembling, "If it would please you."

Stanislav's domineering persona faltered a little at his daughter's sad tone, "What I do to you is in your best interest. I have the best of intentions for you, my daughter. These intentions will bring us all good fortune."

Katerina whispered through clenched teeth, "The worst things are done with the best of intentions." She rose from her seat and said more loudly, "I am not feeling well. May I be excused?"

With an unnerving change back to his taunting expression, he said, "Skipping a meal could help you lose a few pounds. Alright, you have my permission to leave."

Ivet closed her eyes when she heard her daughter whimper as she fled from the dining room.

* * *

Katerina shook her head when Slunchitze made to follow her up the stairs, "For once in your life, leave me alone. I am not a child!"

The handmaiden hid her offense professionally, though it had been the first time Katerina was ever rude to her. Katerina barely reached her room when she felt as though she could no longer hold back her wretching. She shut her door as quietly as she could and dashed to the chamber pot left at the foot of her unmade bed.

_Bump._

All nausea forgotten, Katerina peered into the dark corner of her bedroom, "Who is there?"

To her utter astonishment, Andrian stepped into the moonlight filtering in from the open window, "I had to see you. I walked all the way here from the market."

Katerina laid a hand over her stomach as she tip-toed over to him, "What's wrong? Is everything alright?"

Andrian looked very haggard. His long dark hair was greasy and messy, flowing freely around his chiseled face. He had dark circles around his eyes and he smelled. Andrian took a shaky breath, "I had ... I had to bury," he cleared his throat. "My mum's dead. She died earlier today."

Katerina clapped her hand over her mouth and the tears that had started at the dining table burst forth. She whispered, "_No_! How? I saw her less than a week ago -"

Andrian struggled to keep his voice steady, "I don't know _how_, Katerina! She just ... I just _found _her like that. She had ... _holes_ in her neck, like something _bit _her ..."

Katerina gripped his arms when he swayed on the spot, "Lay down, my love. Lay down with me. It's okay, it's okay, _shhh_..."

She didn't give a thought to how dangerous this was to lie in bed with Andrian, especially in her own house. She didn't care if Stanislav walked in at that moment. Katerina just wanted Andrian to stop crying, to be happy. Without bothering to change into her nightgown, she lead him onto her bed and laid his head on her chest. He was such a tall young man and his head felt heavy.

But, she didn't care. Katerina let him sob into her dress, her own eyes blinded by her cascading tears. She fell asleep combing his hair with her long fingers, humming a lullaby to try to soothe Andrian.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**March 12th, 1490**

The most restless nights are the ones spent in tears. Katerina's stomach had been protesting unpleasantly all through the night, indecisive over whether it wanted to be filled or emptied. Somehow, she managed to lay beside Andrian till morning. Only to avoid vomiting on him, Katerina finally extricated herself from beneath the blankets and his heavy arm to aim into her chamber pot ... which had been emptied. She didn't have time to notice till after her puke hit the brass basin.

Katerina's wide and reddened eyes blinked away tears as she stared, terror struck, at her bedroom door. She didn't know how or who had snuck in while they were sleeping. Katerina heaved herself to her unsteady feet while wiping away the sick on her lips with the side of her shivering hand.

Andrian's broad, brawny shoulders rippled beneath the sheets as he sat up, peering around for her, "K-Katerina?"

She turned and limped over to him as he hung his long legs over the side of the bed, "Someone saw us."

Andrian rubbed his pale face as though it could erase the dark circles bruising underneath his eyes, "Who?"

"I know not," Katerina gently wrapped her long fingers around his wrists, "But, my chamber pot's been cleaned. I remember well that it was not while we slept."

"I have to leave, then, don't I?" Andrian groaned into his palms while Katerina shushed him. "I heard you not a moment ago, spilling your sick." He looked into her eyes as she knelt before him, "Are you unwell? Am I to blame?"

Katerina closed her eyes. She remembered that day in the middle of February when they first made love to each other on that river bank, gleefully defying Stanislav Petrova. Since that pivotal date, they've 'defied' her father several times. Katerina dropped one hand to her belly. It was still flat though her breasts and hips had grown in size. She was hungry at all hours of the day, even now as she sank onto the floor.

Andrian _was _to blame ... and so was she. The consequence was growing in her womb.

Katerina took a shaky breath, "I am with child ... yours." She clapped her hand over her mouth, "I am pregnant, Andrian. I am ... I know it. How could I have been so reckless?"

Andrian did not miss a beat. He joined her on the floor and whispered to her sternly, "If this is what you say, do not punish yourself, Katerina. Don't you even think it. Don't you think it for a moment. Katerina, look at me." He cupped her tearstrewn face in his large and dirty hands, "This is the circle of life my mother always talked about. With her death ... comes new life."

Katerina stroked her belly, "I am as good as dead now, Andrian. My father will not be merciful. He will take this with hatred."

Andrian gulped and steadied his focus on her eyes, "Run with me, Katerina. Run away with me. We can be a family. We can be safe."

Katerina placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled herself to him, "I will run with you. I will! I love you, Andrian. You are to be a father. You are my husband ... I need no priest to tell me so."

Andrian kissed her, "We'll be together forever, Katerina. This is our fate."

Katerina kissed him hard, "Take me away now, Andrian. Steal me away!"

They rose to their feet together, hand in hand, and circled around her four poster bed to her door. Katerina pulled it open, peaking left and right from the threshold, before stepping out into the corridor with Andrian. Their hands were entwined together like the metal teeth of a trap clamped around an animal's paw. They descended the staircase hesitantly, careful not to squeak any of the old floorboards. Andrian kept squeezing her hand reassuringly whenever they heard a noise echoing from elsewhere in the house.

Katerina indicated the back door with a jerk of her head, "This way. We can take Cheren."

They were hardly an inch from freedom when she heard the voice of the one man she never wanted to see again.

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING MY DAUGHTER!" roared Stanislav as he bolted towards them. "Come _back_ here, you lowly boy!"

Katerina didn't hesitate. She yanked open the door, felt the cool morning gust make all her hairs stand on end, and begged of Andrian, "_Run_!"

Andrian hesitated ... long enough for Stanislav to constrict his throat. Before Katerina could lunge at her father, she was knocked to the ground. Her head bounced painfully on the rug. As her world became black, she watched her father and three stablehands drag Andrian outside. A tear dripped free as Andrian's cries for her echoed in her ears.

Katerina breathed and laid her hand over the spot where their unborn child was growing, "_Andrian _..."

* * *

Andrian awoke inside of a speeding and crowded horse-drawn carriage. As his vision adjusted to the dank shadows, he recognized Slunchitze, three Petrova stablehands that he had never learned the names of, and Stanislav Petrova. Katerina's favorite handmaiden was sobbing uncontrollably in the furthest corner from where he lay. Her face was heavily bruised and cut.

"Do you figure me oblivious, sir Hristov?" Stanislav asked him quietly, watching him struggle to sit up like a wolf stalked a deer. "Did you really think I would not find out that you raped my daughter? It matters not. She is carrying your child, is she not? If she were wise, she would not have chosen to conceive it."

The short door behind Andrian was suddenly shoved open and his head was handing out of the carriage.

"NO! Stop!" He growled up at Stanislav as the father of his love held him there. "Sir Petrova, I love her! We are to marry! I love Katerina! _Please_, let me go!"

Stanislav sneered, "As you wish."

He shoved Andrian's head closer to the forest floor while the carriage was still moving ...

* * *

"Katerina, oh, Katerina!" she heard her mother calling her name from what sounded like at the opposite end of a long tunnel. She gasped when Ivet smacked Katerina with the back of her hand across her daughter's face, "Speak to me, my child, and tell me it's a lie! Tell me it is not true!"

Katerina blinked heavily up at her mother and could only ask groggily, "Where's he?"

"Get up," demanded Stanislav as he stepped back into the house.

Katerina became aware that she was splayed on the rug and that her mother was leaning over her. She felt her father's footsteps stomp as he approached her.

She glared up at him, "How could you do this to me, your daughter?"

"You are no longer a child of mine. You have betrayed me," Stanislav told her scathingly before turning on his wife. "Get her on her feet. I have one final lesson for the whore." Ivet's wrinkles were flooded with tears and she opened her mouth to protest, but, was instantly silenced by her husband's shout, "_NOW!_"

Katerina staggered to her feet without any aid. Though her legs were unsteady, the same could not be said of the glare she was burning into her father's eyes. Ivet got to her feet as well, trembling almost as much as her daughter. Katerina's fingers were bent like claws ready to slice across her father's throat.

* * *

"That's your handmaiden there."

From the front doorstep where she and her mother were standing, Katerina wailed at the decapitated woman's corpse being flung from the carriage. Ivet held her daughter to her chest, trying to comfort her.

Stanislav chuckled humorlessly,"The stupid whore may have been forgiven had she severed her loyalties to you."

This was the sharpest stake of all. Katerina never had the chance to apologize to her most treasured friend. The last order she gave to the woman was to stay away. Even so, Slunchitze had tried to keep Katerina's secret hidden. She had been the one who had cleaned her chamber pot during the night. Their last moment together had been wasted. She never got to remind Slunchitze of how much she had loved and appreciated her friendship.

Katerina gulped,"What did you do to him? Where is Andrian?"

"You know what the penalty is for rape," Stanislav seemed to bask in the fear he was infecting his daughter and wife with.

Katerina shook her head fervently,"I laid with him with consent! Please, _please_, father! He's the father of my unborn child. _Please_, let me see him. _Please_."

Stanislav gave the order for the stable hands to reveal Andrian's corpse, which had also been beheaded. Katerina cried in despair, breaking free of her mother's clutches, and bolted across the yard to embrace his dead body.

Stanislav pursed his lips at the sight of his daughter weeping over the body,"He was no better than a butcher, Katerina. I know that you were friends with him as a child. Now, is the time to clean up your mess -"

Stanislav pulled a sharpened stick out of his pocket. Katerina gripped a jagged rock and smashed it against her father's head when he touched her shoulder. Ivet screamed and ran to her husband's side. She hated him, yes. But, she had to be sure he was uninjured. Stanislav allowed his wife to help him back to his feet but shoved her to the ground beside Katerina.

"You both are ungrateful whores, unfit to scrub my own chamber pot. You are both to be sent to the countryside. Let your belly swell with your bastard offspring, Katerina. I shall give it to Radko Dimitrova, to compensate his troubles that will come out of this mess. Then it is off to England for you."

"You are no longer my daughter, Katerina. If you had just kept your legs together, little whore, no one would have died."

"You best kill me now! DO YOU HEAR ME?" She screamed at his retreating back, "Kill me ... or I will rip your heart out!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**The Pregnancy**

Ivet's daughter's eyes were inscrutable. Though the beauty smiled and nodded, it was without emotion. It was as though her soul had shriveled up and died yet she was still alive. Katerina was soon to be a mother herself, yet, there was nothing for her to smile about. Her father murdered the man whom had impregnated her, ruining Stanislav's plan to marry his daughter off to the wealthy Radko Dimitrova. Her handmaiden, her most trusted friend and guardian, was murdered for Katerina's indiscretion, as well.

Word has spread thoroughly through their society and has gone as far as the marketplace that Sir Petrova was '_treating the two most important women in his life with an extended holiday_' to undisclosed whereabouts. This '_holiday_' happened to coincide with the peculiar death of Madam Hristov, the kind baker, and the disappearances of her beloved son, soldier Andrian Hristov, and the Patrova handmaiden so there was little to gossip over. Majority of the people genuinely believed that Stanislav was sending his family away to safety. Katerina averted her dark doe-like eyes from the blood splatter at her feet by the door of the horse drawn carriage. She knew that it had to belong to either Andrian or Slunchitze.

Not a single conversation had been held between she and her mother yet. Although, Ivet had shared her thoughts aloud with her daughter here and there throughout the trip. Her words fell on deaf ears, as Katerina had nothing to say in return. She was not interested in regaling her account of how her life found this jagged and hopeless path. One hand was always cupped over her belly, her steadily expanding waist preparing for the distention that was to come.

Katerina couldn't bare the thought of giving away her infant to a complete stranger when the time came. It was a dreadful prospect, but, not as much as departing from her own mother. Katerina felt a wave of sleepiness overcome her and laid her head in her mother's lap.

"I've brought you some food, Katerina, in case you're anything like me when I was pregnant." Ivet stroked her daughter's curly, flaxen mane.

Katerina sniffled, "You're a much better person than I am."

"No, no, darling. Don't say that. It's not true."

"I'm sorry that I've ripped you from your home," Katerina sniffled almost incoherently.

Ivet bent down as best as she could to kiss her daughter's forehead, "Make no doubts, my child, I would have gone with you without his order."

The Petrova country home was nowhere near as grandiose as their permanent settlement. It was only one floor and was made entirely of wood and plaster. There was only an eating area and one bedroom. Since the Petrova family was quite small, there was no need for a second room to be built. The tight quarters was of no concern to Katerina.

Her mother was the only other resident on the property. The carriage would return in five months to return Ivet and Katerina to the permanent settlement for the birth. The one thing that concerned Katerina most was the food storage. Though she had heartburn and was sick at least five times a day, she was more hungry than she had ever been in her life. They made frequent trips to the nearby village for milk, fruit, bread, and meat.

They did not take time to make friends. This was an imperative requirement to keep the pregnancy a secret, though she was not showing any outward signs of being so. Katerina hungered for human interaction outside of her mother. She was a social young woman by nature. Being confined to the small holiday home was torture. When she was three months along, Katerina began to outgrow her own dresses. She discarded her corsets reluctantly. She felt unladylike, walking around without any support for her swelling body. Towards the middle of her pregnancy, Katerina began to 'show'. Her belly began to stretch outside her wide hips. But, it wasn't till she was almost a month away from her approximate due date that she felt her child kick for the first time. She grabbed her mother's hand and showed her the first genuine smile in months.

"She's _moving_!" Katerina breathed, grinning from ear to ear. "Can't you feel her foot?"

Ivet smiled kindly, "_She_? How do you know?"

"I just ... I just know," Katerina shrugged, feeling around her small little bump. "I think she's asleep now. What shall I name her?"

When the excitement abated, Katerina looked sullen once again. Ivet got to her feet to attend to the tea boiling on the fire pit just outside the front door.

"It's almost time, my dear." Ivet reminded her daughter quietly. "I don't want to hear you getting attached to it. I do not want your heart to break."

Katerina felt tears brimming in her dark eyes, "I know."

"It's almost time for us to say 'goodbye' to her."

"No!" Katerina hugged her huge belly and shook her head fervently down at her mother, "I can't say 'goodbye'. No, she's _my_ baby."

Ivet tried to console her and walked over to comb Katerina's drape of curls with her fingers, "Katerina, you knew that this day was coming. Radko Dimitrova will take her to his family where your baby will have _every _opportunity available to her ... _it_. You can't raise her on your own in a foreign country, darling. Your father made this decision in your best interest -"

Katerina scoffed scathingly and took a few unsteady steps backward, "_I_ don't concern him! He does not love me! He killed Andrian! Slunchize! Oh, my Slunchitze. I can't let him take my own baby away -"

"You told me just last week that you can't raise it-"

"But, I can't do it, Mama." Katerina wailed, "I can't. It hurts too much. I'm scared. It's too hard."

Katerina was now choking on her own sobs, gasping for air. Ivet hugged her daughter's head to her chest as she started to cry, too, "Katerina, listen to your Mama. You cannot live at home. How can you risk traveling with your newborn for miles - across the _sea_, no less?"

"Could you have done it? Could you have given me away?" Katerina had cried herself to exhaustion and finally relented into her mother's tempting arms.

Ivet took a shuddering breath, "If I had, perhaps this would not be happening. Perhaps, you have been given a father who loves you as much as I do. Your choices have brought shame on your father's good name. Can you understand his position?"

Katerina sank down onto the porch floor and crossed her legs, her belly pressing down on her lap, "I hurt. I felt another contraction."

* * *

_This chapter ends with the beginning scene of__** The Vampire Diaries **__2x09 "Katerina"_


End file.
